SIGOURNEY, Iowa - The founder of a Sigourney slaughtering business says he's ready to get to work processing beef.

Keaton Walker, president of Responsible Transportation LLC., said Thursday the plant could one day slaughter horses, but for now they're taking another route.

"We're leaving the door open for anything in the future," Walker said. Future plans could include horse slaughter, which was originally the company's plan.

A recent ruling by a federal judge temporarily halted plans to open the horse slaughter facility. The ruling came after various animal rights groups filed a lawsuit against the USDA, who had previously granted the plant a permit to begin horse slaughter operations after congress overturned a ban on the practice several years ago.

Responsible Transportation is in the process of obtaining a permit to begin cattle slaughter in the mean time.

"We are ready to get to work," Walker said. "For now, we're full steam ahead on [beef processing]."

Operations could begin at the plant within the next couple of weeks. The company plans to change names as part of the process. Some changes are also required inside the plant to properly handle cattle.